Proving Ground – Flashpoint Edition
by sunstarunicorn
Summary: When Team One kills a magical serial killer to protect his victims, they are charged with violating magical law. To prove themselves, they challenge Toronto's elite Auror Squad to a winner-takes-all game of capture the flag. Can technology trump magic? 3rd in the It's a Magical Flashpoint series.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

Author note: This story is the third in the Magical Flashpoint series. It follows "Nobody said Anything about Magic". The basic premise of this story was inspired by Alathea2's stories "Proving Ground" and "Proving Ground Redux", both of which are posted on this site.

Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own _Flashpoint_ , _Harry Potter_ , _Narnia_ , or _Merlin_.

* * *

 _Previously_

"I have the solution," Sam reported, head down and rifle aimed at the subject.

"Scorpio," Sarge ordered, tone grim.

* * *

Sam smiled mirthlessly. "Yeah, Sarge, I know about magic," he started. "I've known about it all my life. After all, the General's a Squib."

* * *

Wilkins stepped forward, drawing himself up. "Sergeant Parker, Constable Braddock, you are under arrest for killing a wizard with a Muggle weapon."


	2. Broken Accord

**_Chapter One: Broken Accord_**

Sergeant Greg Parker had regained control over his temper by the time Team One arrived at the Toronto Auror Division. Following Wilkins' 'arrest' of Greg and Sam, Lance and Alanna had demanded, in thoroughly imperious tones, to speak to Auror Wilkins' superiors. At a quiet hiss from Sam, Spike had discreetly vanished back to the command truck and met back up with the team outside the magical governmental building's entrance. The group was ushered into the building and hauled down several floors to the Auror Division. Wilkins all but strutted as he led the techies and the kids into what looked like a magical version of Commander Holleran's office.

The woman behind the desk looked up at the new arrivals, focusing on Wilkins. She had dark blond hair done up in a neat bun. There were threads of gray in her hair but not many. Dark gray eyes surveyed her visitors, lingering on the SRU uniforms Team One wore. Her features were rather squarish and she wore a monocle over one eye. Finished with her examination of Team One, the woman looked to her Auror. In a no-nonsense tone, she asked, "Is there a reason you are disturbing my office Auror Wilkins?"

"Madame Locksley, there has been an incident," Wilkins replied.

Locksley arched both brows. "We've already got that loon attacking Muggle women, Wilkins. Until he's caught I don't care about your _incidents_ , especially since your last _incident_ was to complain that the Muggle Sergeant you're working with won't drop the Squib-born on his team."

Wilkins flushed scarlet as Team One promptly sniggered behind his back. Locksley's expression turned amused as she turned toward Sergeant Parker. "I imagine you are the Muggle Sergeant Wilkins has been complaining all month about."

Greg gave her a genuine smile. "I imagine I am, Madame Locksley. I suppose you must be the superior who needed to give approval before I was informed about Constable Braddock's past experiences with the magical world."

"I am indeed, Sergeant. I suppose this means my Auror informed you?" Locksley cast a glare at Wilkins.

"No, ma'am," Sam offered, poking his head around Spike to meet Madame Locksley's gaze. "I informed them myself."

"Indeed?"

Greg waved Sam back and stepped back in. "My Constable informed myself and his teammates after a confrontation between my team and the serial killer Auror Wilkins briefed us about this morning."

Madame Locksley held up a hand and turned to Wilkins. "You told them only this morning?" she demanded.

Wilkins flushed an even deeper red. "We didn't need their help," he protested.

"That was not your decision to make, Auror. I assume this 'confrontation' is why you have dragged these Muggles into my office?"

"Yes, Madame." Auror Wilkins drew himself up. "Constable Braddock, after being given the order by Sergeant Parker, executed a wizard using a Muggle weapon."

Locksley was silent for several moments, clearly shocked by the report. "Is this true, Sergeant Parker?"

"My team did attempt to arrest the subject," Greg pointed out. "He was ordered to surrender by Constables Callaghan, Wordsworth, and Young. Instead he fired several curses at them. As none of them had an opening to use their less-lethal weapons and Constable Callaghan as well as a civilian were trapped near the subject, I gave Constable Braddock permission to fire."

"Using a Muggle rifle?"

Greg's eyes narrowed. "Madame Locksley, I don't mean to insult you, but _this is our job_. We deal with people in the worst twenty minutes of their lives and we get as many people out alive as we can. In a situation like today, bringing everyone home alive simply isn't possible. I regret that, but I do _not_ regret making the decision to protect my team." He paused, studying the woman. Carefully, he inquired, "Has Auror Wilkins kept you up to date on my team's repeated requests to use standard law enforcement protocol, even on the magic side of things?"

Madame Locksley cast Greg a lethal glare. "He has, Sergeant Parker. I see no reason to change the way this office operates and cater to a group of _Muggles_. As part of the agreement Auror Wilkins made with your team, you have all been treated as fellow wizards. It is against our laws for a wizard to kill another wizard with a Muggle weapon." She considered several moments. "I assume your actions today were in line with your Muggle procedures?"

"Yes, Madame Locksley," Greg confirmed.

"I see." Locksley drummed her fingers on her desk as she thought. "As your actions were committed on the Muggle side of Toronto _and_ in line with Muggle procedures, I can release you and Constable Braddock without charges." She frowned and continued before anyone could respond, "However the agreement between your team and my division is now broken and the Auror Division will be _Obliviating_ your team as they should have done months ago."

Lance and Alanna protested at once, only to be silenced by Sam. "I don't think you want to do that, Madame Locksley," he said flatly, though mischief danced in his gaze. "After all, all of Team One's calls are recorded and transcribed from start to finish. Today's transcript has a very unusual statement on it; one I think you'll be interested in." Having said that, he held out his hand to Spike, who quickly passed the transcript over to his teammate. Sam flipped through the pages and then set the transcript down in front of Madame Locksley. He pointed to a specific section and smirked as she read it.

When she looked up again, she cast a truly infuriated look in Auror Wilkins' direction. "Let me get this straight, Auror Wilkins. You took a Muggle communication device from one of these Muggles and proceeded to demand that Constable Braddock use his Muggle rifle on a fellow wizard?"

Wilkins shrank away from her. He might have denied it, but with the Muggle transcript in front of his boss, he couldn't even fudge his way out.

* * *

His silence was response enough. Madame Locksley shoved the transcript away and slumped back in her chair. "A wizard demanded that you use a Muggle weapon. An _Auror_ demanded your lethal response." It was clear that she could no longer simply have the Muggles _Obliviated_ , something the Squib-born Braddock had obviously anticipated when he'd had his teammate fetch the revolting document in front of her. She toyed with the idea of incinerating the report but doubted that would make a difference. Braddock would not have risked losing such incriminating evidence. And the two British pureblood brats would throw an even larger tantrum if she tried. On the other hand, if the Muggles would fire on a wizard once, they would do it again. The accord was still broken; there was no way they could give the Muggles unofficial Auror status as they had done thus far. At last she folded her hands and looked up at the Muggles. "We cannot continue as we have, Sergeant Parker. Today shows that quite clearly. As my Auror _did_ demand that Constable Braddock fire, I cannot hold your team accountable for breaking our agreement. Nor can I demand that your team be _Obliviated_." She ignored the poorly hidden sighs of relief from the Muggles. "I'm afraid I must insist that your team keep silent about our world. Other than that, we shall not trouble you again."

"So it's just over?" the tallest Muggle demanded, looking startled and a touch dismayed.

"Yes," Locksley confirmed.

Parker gave her a challenging stare. "I'm tempted to simply agree, especially after you threatened once again to remove my team's memories. However, it's very clear to me that you and your Aurors have no real respect for the technological world." He turned, meeting his teammates' eyes one by one. Locksley blinked, impressed at the silent communication. Abruptly, Parker turned back to her. "We'd like a chance to prove that our tactics are equal to yours."

Braddock stepped forward a bit. "A chance to prove that we're just as good as you are, even if we _don't_ use magic."

Madame Locksley stared at all of them, surprised when each and every one of the Muggles met her eyes. _Well then,_ she decided. _Let the games begin._


	3. Capture the Flag?

**_Chapter Two: Capture the Flag?_**

Auror Wilkins scoffed at once, "How can _Muggles_ hope to be equal to _wizards_?"

"Enough, Wilkins," Madame Locksley snapped. "You've caused quite enough trouble for one day." Her attention returned to Team One. "You propose a formal competition? Dueling, perhaps?"

"Not dueling," Lance opined. When Greg looked down at him, one brow arched, Lance explained, "Dueling is one-on-one. That's not how your team works." The boy stumbled to a stop. "Well, I don't think that's how it works," he mumbled.

"Ah." Greg shook his head. " _Mio nipote_ is correct, dueling is not how my team operates." Greg considered and added, "Today was a good example of how my team operates in a situation like a manhunt."

Locksley frowned at this, thoughtful. She tapped her fingernails together as she considered.

"Sarge?" Ed spoke up. "What about doing a training exercise? Shows what we can do and no one gets hurt."

"Training exercise?" Madame Locksley inquired. "How does that work?"

As Ed described how a typical training exercise went, the woman began to nod. She reached forward, tugging a sheaf of parchment to her and writing with an old fashioned quill. When Ed finished, she continued to write for several minutes. Team One waited politely, exchanging curious looks with each other.

"My daughter goes to school with several Muggleborns, Sergeant Parker," Madame Locksley announced, setting down her quill. "Are you familiar with the Muggle game of 'Capture the Flag'?"

Greg's brows shot up in surprise. "I am, Madame Locksley. You want to test my team with a game?"

"Suitably modified, of course," Locksley assured the Sergeant. "I propose that we retain the basic idea of 'Capture the Flag' and add to it our, shall we say, _unique_ skills and 'tactics'. You will compete against my best squad of Aurors. Whichever squad captures the flag shall claim victory. You will be free to use all of your," she sneered a bit, "methods and ideas and we shall use ours."

"No Unforgivables," Alanna piped up.

Locksley gave the young girl an offended look. "Certainly not!" She gave Greg a sharp look. "In turn, your team shall not kill my team."

Greg gave her an equally offended look. "It's a training exercise, Madame Locksley. Less-lethal goes without saying."

"No magic before it starts," Lance insisted, glaring at Madame Locksley.

"As you wish," Locksley conceded. Greg frowned, it was clear she was disappointed at the restriction. Locksley cleared her throat and went on, "As it happens, I do know of a location that will serve, Sergeant Parker."

"Alright," Greg replied. "Perhaps you could give me a few more details and my team can decide if it will work for both groups?"

"Of course." Locksley's gaze shifted to Wilkins. "Go call the teams back in and see that the Dark Wizard's body is removed from the Muggle world."

Wilkins bowed. "Yes, Madame Locksley."

"Now, then," Locksley said, her attention returning to Greg, "I do have a map of the area in question, if that will serve."

"It will," Greg assured her. "How large is your elite squad?"

"We currently have eight members of our elite squad. Will that be an issue?"

Greg and Ed exchanged brief looks. "No, Madame Locksley," Greg said with a smile that was a tad feral. "We look forward to it."


	4. Connect

**_Chapter Three: Connect_**

Author's Note: I had not realized just how short "Capture the Flag?" was until I went to post it today and this site popped up a grand total of about 500 words. Usually, I try to have at least 1k words per chapter. In light of that, I am posting this chapter today (December 2nd, 2016), instead of making you all wait until next Tuesday. If you read "Capture the Flag?" between when I posted it and when this was posted, you're good...but if you're just joining us and you don't recognize the chapter title I referenced, I suggest you back up one chapter, read that, and then read this chapter.  


Please don't get used to double postings unless it's a new story with a prologue...this is probably one of the few stories with a chapter that's less than 1k words.

* * *

Team One assembled in the farmhouse on the abandoned property. Spike and Lou had hidden their flag in the barn, under a few of the still sturdy floorboards. By mutual agreement, Team One had vacated the barn and left no protection for the flag beyond a few carefully hidden cameras. Spike was setting up his computer equipment as Sarge blocked off as many entrances into their 'home base' as he could. Jules and Lou had already headed out into the forest surrounding the small farmhouse, cameras and weapons in tow. Sam, Wordy, and Ed had also gone into the forest and were setting up several more cameras to cover as much ground as possible. Although it was possible the Aurors would short the cameras out, they'd have to find the cameras first. All of the cameras were thermal instead of the usual cameras Team One deployed. Lance and Alanna had wasted no time in informing their uncle of the various ways a wizard could hide and sneak about unnoticed. Every member of the team was also equipped with a thermal scanner and GPS tracker in case a captured team member was taken to the Auror 'home base'. Greg surveyed his efforts and decided it would have to do. He returned to Spike and peered over the tech's shoulder, examining the camera angles his team had set up thus far.

Satisfied, the Sergeant began to hand out assignments. "Jules, you're Sierra One," Greg announced. "Sam, you're Sierra Two."

"Copy," both replied.

"Eddie, if Spike and I get taken out, you have command."

"You got it, Boss," Ed confirmed. Technically, the order wasn't necessary since Ed was Team Leader, but Greg was currently operating on his 'cover all the bases' mode.

"Spike, how are we doing with the cameras?"

"So far we got nothing, Sarge," Spike reported. "It's early yet, though. Lou and Jules put all of their cameras out. Sam, Wordy, and Ed are about half done."

"Copy."

Silence hung in the command center as the rest of the team continued setting up cameras and scouting. Greg and Locksley had ended up flipping a coin over who got the farmhouse. Greg had lost, but Team One was determined to make the farmhouse work for them, even if it was basically a sitting duck for any of the magicals. Spike clicked away at the keys as Greg stayed alert and on the move. They'd needed all the cameras to cover the forest and barn, so the 'home base' had no thermal camera coverage.

"Quiet," Wordy observed over the comm.

"Yeah, too quiet," Sam agreed. "Magic makes sneaking around a lot easier, so keep your guard up everyone."

Greg nodded absently. "Jules, Lou?"

"Nothing so far, Sarge," Jules reported. "I bet they headed for that area of heavy brush and small cliffs."

"What, they'd figure we couldn't make it down a cliff?" Wordy asked incredulously.

"Wouldn't be the first time they underestimated us, Wordy," Jules pointed out.

"Okay, Jules, see what you can find," Greg decided.

"Copy that."

Silence draped the comm again as the team kept moving. Ed, Sam, and Wordy finished setting up their cameras and Spike hooked them all into the network. He grinned as he surveyed the data. Although the team had come with enough battery packs to keep the laptop going all day, it had turned out that the farmhouse still had power outlets and, to the shock of Team One, working electricity. Spike had thus gone a step farther than he'd previously planned and started seeing what he could find out about the Aurors tech-side. Odds were that the Aurors' records were exclusively in the magical world, but profiling _was_ part of how Team One typically operated.

"Anything?" Greg asked, curious to see if Spike's gambit would pan out.

"Nada," Spike sighed, disappointed. "Looks like Toronto's more like Britain than we thought, Sarge. None of these guys are tech-born."

"So they're all purebloods?"

"Looks like it, Sarge." Spike looked up, arching a brow at Greg's wry grin. "What?"

"Well, if they're all purebloods, they don't have the first clue about how we operate _or_ how the tech world works. Remember how much the kids _didn't_ know?"

"Sure I do…" Spike trailed off as his eyes went wide. " _That_ bad?"

"That bad," Sam confirmed over the comm. "Maybe even worse, Spike. From what Alanna told me, she and Lance did a pretty good job of rolling with the punches. Adult purebloods have spent their whole lives in the magical world. Most of them couldn't live without magic if their lives depended on it." Spike whistled, but Sam wasn't done. "Frankly, Sarge, I think you guys rolled with the punches just as well. When the General told Mom about magic, she freaked big time. She's _afraid_ of it, guys. Probably a good thing my sisters and I never showed so much as an ounce of magic."

Greg shook his head, sorrowful at the idea that Sam would have been rejected by his own parents if he'd had magic. Wordy spoke before he could. "I hear you Sam, but I don't get it. How could a parent be afraid of their children's talents? Shelley and I talked after we found out and we've already decided that if any of the girls have magic, we're behind them one hundred percent."

"Count the rest of us in too," Jules called.

"Okay, team, let's keep our heads in the game," Greg rebuked lightly as he brought them back on task.

"You got it," Sam agreed. Before anyone else could acknowledge there was a _crack_ over the comms and Sam let out a yell.

"Sam!" Ed called.

"Contact, contact," Sam panted. "Guys, get over here!"

Greg's gaze darted to the camera views and Spike pointed to one of the many windows open on the laptop's screen. Sam was dodging like a crazy man as a robed figure flung spell after spell in the rookie's direction. Over the comm, they heard Sam hurling insults at his attacker. He'd obviously lost his sidearm in the first desperate scramble to avoid being hit.

"What's the matter?" Sam taunted as he ducked behind a tree. "Can't you hit a moving target?"

Whatever the robed figure said in reply wasn't audible over the comm or the camera but the wizard doubled his casting speed, clearly trying to wear Sam down through attrition. Another _crack_ rang out making Greg tense a moment, but onscreen the robed figure fell.

"Subject down," Ed reported, sounded satisfied.

"Good work, Ed," Greg started to reply before the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He shoved Spike in one direction and flung himself in the other as a spell flew between the two. It hit close enough to Spike that the tech yelped and slumped to the floor. Greg scrambled for his sidearm as the wizard leered at him.

"So much for _Muggle_ technology," the wizard drawled, sneering at Greg's attempt to draw his weapon. Before it could clear the holster, the wizard cast _Expelliarmus_ (1) and sent the gun flying into the nearby table. The Auror twirled his wand lazily, clearly intending to gloat over his victim. Greg cast him a glare, refusing to back down even as he judged the distance to his sidearm. Before the SRU Sergeant could move, an arm wrapped around the Auror from behind. The Auror gasped, struggling against his opponent and trying to aim his wand at his attacker. After a few seconds, the Auror sagged and was immediately released. Spike grinned at his Sergeant as he caught the unconscious Auror. He sported a cut on his forehead and a bruise was already showing on his cheek but he was up and clearly still in the game.

Greg huffed a sigh of relief. "Good work, Spike." The two frisked their prisoner and cuffed him after removing all of his magical toys. They looked up as Sam, Wordy, and Ed barged into the room, weapons raised. The new arrivals gaped at Greg and Spike, then chuckled with relief. Wordy departed briefly, returning with the Auror Sam had confronted.

"Two down," Spike crowed.

"Don't get cocky, Spike," Sam warned, though he smiled too. "We're just getting started."

Spike shrugged. "I bet they didn't think we'd even get one of them, much less two."

"No bet," Wordy retorted.

"Okay, team," Greg interceded. "We've got two of our subjects contained. Let's go get the rest, shall we?"

"You got it, Boss," Ed agreed. "Let's move out people."

* * *

[1] Combination of two Latin words: 'to expel weapon'


	5. Respect

**_Chapter Four: Respect_**

Jules picked her way through the trees and underbrush, careful to stay low. Ahead of her Lou did the same. The two SRU officers had fallen silent as they drew closer to the suspect location. Hand signals were the order of the operation as they cleared every meter before they moved on. Jules swept her side and signaled all clear. Lou nodded, examining his own area. All clear. Jules was about to move forward when a patch of color caught her eye. A soft hiss caught Lou's attention and he followed her gaze to the purple swath visible through the trees. Jules aimed her thermal scanner at the swath and signaled her partner. Subject sighted. If the two had been stealthy before, it was nothing compared to now as they ghosted through the trees, practically crawling to keep from making any noise.

Lou paused when they were about ten meters from their target and signaled Jules to the left. She nodded and moved left, watching as Lou went right. The constables stayed in sync as they crept up behind their target. Jules got far enough to spot the subject's wand. The subject was lighting up what looked like an old-fashioned tobacco pipe. Jules arched her brows in surprise as the man puffed and started to blow smoke rings. Ignoring the subject's utter lack of professionalism, Jules scanned the small clearing. No one else was in sight. Rather than trust her eyes, Jules pulled out her thermal scanner again. She scanned the area around the clearing as carefully as she could. Nothing, not even a blip. If there _were_ more wizards, they had hidden their thermal signatures as well. She backed off enough to signal Lou that the subject was alone. Lou nodded and signaled that his side was all clear too. Jules backed off as the less-lethal specialist snuck up right behind their subject and got the wizard in a sleeper hold. The wizard thrashed, losing his pipe, but quickly fell to the old tactic. Lou released his hold and caught the wizard as Jules moved back up. The two secured their captive with cuffs and gagged him as well. Falling back and taking the prisoner would take too long.

They finished before the wizard woke up and moved on, doubly careful to keep their eyes open. Past the small clearing they finally reached the cliffs in the area. Jules was very careful to keep her voice down as she reported in. "We're at the cliffs, Sarge. Lou and I got an Auror on our way here."

"Three down," Spike crowed.

"Any sign of their base camp?" Sarge asked.

"Nothing yet," Jules started when Lou overrode her.

"Got it," he hissed.

Jules scooted back to her partner. "Where?" she breathed. He pointed and she looked through her binoculars. She let out a low huff. "Lou's right, Sarge. We've got them."

"Where?"

"Looks like it's about forty-three meters to the north-east past the cliffs where we are right now," Lou reported, examining the cliffs as he spoke. "I think we can get down the cliffs here, Sarge."

"What about their flag?" Ed asked.

"No sign of it yet," Jules sighed.

"Go careful," Sarge urged.

"Copy," the duo chimed. Lou set up the belay on the top of the cliff and Jules repelled down the cliff first. Once down, she set up the belay on the bottom and spotted Lou as he repelled down. They detached their harnesses from the line but left the ropes set up as an escape route.

Lou took the lead again as they moved into the forest again. Once again, the two constables leap-frogged through the territory, using their thermal scanners to check for hidden wizards. As they reached another clearing, Lou scanned for any potential wizards. Jules looked around the clearing, frowning. It was very exposed, but with a cliff on one side and a rushing stream on the other, they didn't have much choice.

Lou signaled that they were clear and moved forward. Two steps in, there was a flare from the opposite side of the clearing and two balls rose out of the ground. As the constables dove for cover, the balls opened fire. Jules yelped as a blast took a chunk out of the ground right in front of her. Lou took a spell to the back when one blast threw him to the side and he tried to roll out of the way. Jules scrambled up and managed to haul Lou back into the trees. Behind her she could hear the _cracks_ as the Aurors apparated in.

Frantic, Jules dragged Lou back almost to the cliff they'd descended. She hauled him into cover and held as still as possible. Yells rang out as the Aurors hunted for the two teammates. Jules shifted, grabbing hold of the thermal scanner in Lou's belt. She aimed it toward the clearing and watched as the Aurors searched, coming closer as they hunted. Jules also pulled her sidearm, prepared to go down fighting. But the Aurors never reached the clump of brush where Jules and Lou were hidden, breaking off to search near the stream. Jules waited until the Aurors were gone to uncurl from around Lou.

"Sarge, Lou's down."

"Jules?" Sam's worry shone in the one word question.

"I'm okay, but Lou got hit pretty good."

"How is he?" Sarge asked, pacing if the footsteps Jules could hear were any clue.

Jules ran her hands down Lou's torso, feeling for any broken bones. Gingerly, she removed Lou's vest, wincing at the burn mark that marred the vest. Fortunately, the burned area hadn't gone through the vest and Lou's uniform was unmarked. Carefully, Jules checked Lou's back but found only a touch of redness at the center of where he'd been hit.

"I think he's going to be okay, Sarge, but he's going to have to go to the hospital once this is over. And we need to have a discussion with these guys about what a _training exercise_ means. If Lou and I had been hit anywhere but the vest, I don't think we'd've made it."

Angry growls came over the comm and Sarge had to wait until they'd died away to speak. "Jules, don't take any chances. Find a good spot and start sniping them."

"Copy that, Sarge. What about Lou?"

"I did manage to persuade Madame Locksley to have healers on call for any 'unforeseen incidents'. Spike, activate Lou's tracker. Jules, get away from Lou just in case our subject Aurors accompany the healers."

Jules growled but left Lou, falling back to the cliff and climbing up far enough to be safely out of sight and hidden by the rocks. Sure enough, the healer was accompanied by Aurors who immediately began to search for her. Instead of staying put, Jules used the ropes to scoot sideways on the cliff and maneuvered away from the Aurors. Once farther away, she shimmied up a tree close to the clearing, her rifle in hand. She had a bone to pick with those sentry balls.

* * *

Sam snarled under his breath. He should have known the wizards would play dirty. Well, now it was _his_ turn to play dirty. With the cameras all placed and three wizards down, Sam clambered up on top of the farmhouse to take up a sniper perch. The Squib-born constable smirked. _Time to have some fun._


	6. Protect

**_Chapter Five: Protect_**

Sam let a truly feral grin out as the thermal scope picked up on three wizards approaching the farmhouse. Not a single one of the wizards deviated toward the barn. Nor were the wizards trying to sneak, depending solely on their disillusionment charms to keep them safe.

"Subjects approaching the farmhouse," Sam reported. "I have the solution."

"Visual contact?" Sarge inquired.

"Negative. Thermal only," Sam admitted.

"Hold fire," Sarge ordered. "Ed, Wordy?"

"In position, Sarge," Wordy said softly.

"Sam, positions?" Ed asked, equally soft.

Sam studied the wizards' movement. "Lead one is almost to the fence between the trees and the path. The other two are right behind him, one on either side."

As the wizards reached the fence, Wordy and Ed hurled training flash bangs from both sides. The wizards reeled as the flash bangs went off accompanied by the shouts of, "SRU, hands in the air!"

The Aurors hurled spells back at the constables, clipping Ed with a red spell. In the process, the lead Auror lost his disillusionment. Wordy fired, forcing the Aurors back.

"Sarge, lead one's visible!" the brunet yelled.

"Scorpio!" Greg ordered.

Sam fired instantly, dropping the lead Auror and distracting the other two long enough for Wordy to get to the farmhouse and cover. "They're coming, Sarge," he warned over the comm.

The enraged Aurors all but charged the door, not even looking for Sam. The remaining members of the SRU confronted their attackers head on, Wordy hefting a shield for Sarge and Spike to hide behind. Sam sniped from above, catching the Aurors off guard enough for Spike to toss another flash bang. Sarge caught one of the Aurors with three shots to the chest and didn't even pause to check his victim. The last Auror dispensed with the milder spells and hurled a _Reducto_ (2) at the trio of officers. Sam roared in outrage as the spell threw Wordy back into Sarge and Spike, knocking all three down. The sniper returned fire, hitting the Auror in the chest.

"Guys!" Sam yelled. He skidded off the rooftop, sliding to the ground so fast he would have given himself rope burns if not for his gloves. The sniper tore around the building, reaching his team less than a minute after the _Reducto_ had been thrown. Wordy still had his shield and the deep gorge that marred the metal made Sam gasp. _Maybe we were wrong. Maybe we're out of our league._ Sam blinked back tears as he crouched by the pile of SRU officers, not even glancing at the fallen wizards. _Please don't be dead,_ he begged silently.

"Ow," Wordy groaned without opening his eyes.

"Wordy?" Sam all but gasped.

Wordy let go of the shield, letting Sam haul it away. "That hurt," he managed as he rolled to the side and off of the other two.

Sam choked out a laugh. "I'll bet."

"Did we win?" Spike asked, squinting up at Sam.

"Not yet," Sarge remarked sourly from his position under Spike. "Six down by my count."

"Plus that lousy flag," Wordy pointed out. He inspected the damaged shield as Sarge and Spike started peeling themselves off the ground. "Point blank range on that one spell, Sarge. Almost got through the shield."

"Noted," Sarge rasped, sucking in air. "Sam, get these three cuffed and searched. Spike, check Ed out please."

"Copy," Sam acknowledged as Spike stumbled to his feet and headed for Ed. The sniper collected Wordy and Sarge's cuffs, pulled his own and quickly cuffed all three wizards before frisking them for weapons.

Spike dragged Ed over to the other three. "Ed's down for the count Sarge. We're down to five, counting Jules."

"Two more of them left," Wordy groaned. The rest looked just as discouraged; of the four at the farmhouse, only Sam was still fighting fit.

Sam swallowed. "Maybe we're out of our league, Sarge. You guys could've been killed by that _Reducto_. Lou had to get hauled out by a healer."

"No," Spike said firmly, drawing all attention to him. "We took six of them down without _any_ magic, Samtastic. We can _do_ this no problem. We just have to fight smart, like we have been all along." The tech straightened, the light of challenge in his eyes as he looked at his teammates. "Come on, guys, we're not gonna fold now; not when we're so close."

"He's right," Wordy decided. "We're winning and we can't stop now. Two more and a flag." The brunet looked over at his unconscious best friend. "Ed's down, so I'll say it: Let's get this done."

Sarge gave his team a wide grin. "Alright then. Wordy, you're team leader now." Wordy nodded in acknowledgement. The Sergeant turned a little and tapped his radio. "Jules, how're you doing?"

"Magic sentry posts down, Sarge. I see the flag."

"Copy, hold position. Wordy and Sam are coming to you." The two took off as Sarge nodded to them. "Any sign of our last two friends?"

"Nothing so far, Sarge."

Sarge nodded. "Jules, Ed's down; Wordy's team leader now."

"Copy."

Sarge and Spike carefully hoisted the fallen team leader and hauled him back inside the farm house. The game was still on.

* * *

Wordy panted as he and Sam took turns repelling down the cliff Lou and Jules had hours earlier. His ribs hurt, his chest hurt, and he had a nasty headache that was probably right on the edge of being a concussion. But he wasn't about to give in just because he'd gotten knocked around a little. After all, it was his job to take the hits for his team. The brunet pushed aside his pain and frustration as Jules slid down from a tree to meet them.

"What've we got?" he asked, staying quiet but not whispering.

"Two magical sentries ahead," Jules reported. "That's what got Lou, we were looking for thermals, not magic drone things. I think I took them out."

"Can we get around them?" Sam offered.

"No, cliff on one side, fast-running stream on the other," Jules admitted. "But I'm pretty sure I also saw their flag. It's past the sentries, mounted on another cliff."

"On a cliff?" Wordy arched a brow as he thought. "We've got more rope, right?"

"Copy," Sam agreed.

"Okay," Wordy decided. "I go first at the sentry clearing. If they aren't down, I'll keep their attention long enough for you two to get through. Don't stop for anything. Sam, if I go down, you're team leader."

The brunet hardened his gaze as his teammates traded worried looks. "Don't stop for _anything_ ," he reiterated. " _That's_ an order."

The "Copy" he received from both was probably the most reluctant he'd ever heard but he got it. With a sharp nod, Wordy took the lead and the trio moved to the clearing. Jules and Sam braced themselves to run as Wordy entered the clearing. On the opposite side of the clearing, the sentries rose, sputtered, smoked, and crashed back down with matching squeals. The three jogged through the clearing and made a beeline to the flag. Sam and Jules clipped their harnesses into Sam's rope and Sam gave Jules a boost up. Fortunately, the flag was low enough that Jules wouldn't need Sam to follow her up. The small constable shimmied her way up the cliff toward the Auror flag. Wordy took up a position behind a nearby tree, shotgun in hand.

Jules was almost to the flag when the final two Aurors apparated in. They spotted Team One at once and hurled several spells in the trio's direction. Wordy moved, shoving Sam out of the way and toward the cliff. One spell clipped him hard and sent him spinning into a tree. Gasping, the constable whirled back toward the Aurors and fired. The blast took down the first Auror, who dropped like a rock, as his partner redoubled his casting. Above them Jules yelled as she waved the captured flag but the Auror paid no attention. Sam was yelling too but Wordy couldn't hear him anymore over the roaring in his ears.

Wordy shouted, deliberately attracting attention. Before he could pump the shotgun, the weapon was pulled from his hands by another spell. The large, husky constable opted for the best weapon he had left. He charged like a American football linebacker, ramming his shoulder into the Auror's chest and taking them both down.

The last thing he saw was Sam crouching over him, yelling, "Officer down, officer down." Then blackness took him.

* * *

[2] 'to destroy'


	7. Equals

**_Chapter Six: Equals_**

Greg Parker sat at Constable Wordsworth's bedside, thinking hard. Yes, his team had won; they'd proven they could match the best the magical world could throw at them, but they'd come much too close to losing a valued member of the team in what _should_ have been a training exercise. Lou and Ed had pulled through with nary a scratch but Wordy had been hit by a particularly nasty spell that had come within a hair's breadth of making him bleed out. _Is it truly worth the fight to stay involved in the magical world?_ Greg wondered. _If it means losing my team…_

The Sergeant huffed, scrubbing at his eyes. He was exhausted, his team was exhausted, and he knew he shouldn't make any decisions while it was still so…raw. His gaze drifted back to Wordy, lying so very still on the bed. The healers had said he would be alright, that they'd been able to repair all the damage caused by the two curses. The scars from the second curse would never heal though, leaving what looked like a nasty burn mark on Wordy's torso. Footsteps sounded in the hall, coming closer. Too heavy to be a child's, but not boots, so not anyone from Team One. Greg pointedly ignored the new arrival as they paused in the doorway.

There was a sigh from the person, then a swishing sound. A chair popped into existence, settling itself beside Greg's chair. Greg stiffened, but didn't react otherwise. The person walked over, sitting down beside the Sergeant. "Quite a mess," she observed after a moment.

Greg cast her a decidedly dirty look.

"The healers are impressed, you know," the woman continued, overlooking Greg's dirty look, "they've gone out their way to tell me how they've never seen _anyone_ , much less a _Muggle_ , keep fighting after being hit by _Percutio_ (3). And I do believe they're planning on framing Constable Young's 'bullut-pruff' vest for absorbing a _Reducto_ and leaving your constable without so much as a scratch. I haven't heard so many 'Impossible's and 'Unbelievable's since my school days."

Goaded into replying Greg demanded, "And Ed?"

The woman shrugged. "Stunners aren't anything to fuss over, Sergeant Parker. Much like your 'rubba bulluts' I imagine."

Greg blinked. "So, Stunners are what your Aurors should have been using?"

Madame Locksley flushed. "Yes, Sergeant Parker. I did instruct my Aurors that today was to be a _practice session_ , not the utter debacle that your team managed to overcome." She looked away from Greg's incredulous look. "Let me be frank, Sergeant. My Aurors…lost their tempers. They _assumed_ , much as I did, that your team would be easy to overcome. They _assumed_ that 'mere' Muggles could never hope to keep up with wizards and set out to completely humiliate your team. Instead, your team captured three of them in less than an hour."

"So they took out _their_ humiliation on my team?" Greg asked, voice soft because if he was any louder, he would shout at her.

"Yes," Locksley confirmed. "The _Reducto_ drones, the use of _Percutio_ , even following the healers you called in for Constable Young, all of that because _they_ were angry and humiliated." She hesitated, then plunged on, "And yet…Sergeant, you won. Your team won. If you had only reached the flag, my Aurors likely would have demanded duels since today would have been 'catering to the Muggles'. But your team took on my Aurors in open combat twice. Once at the farmhouse and once at the Auror flag. You won, both times."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Greg's voice was still soft, hurt and a hint of anguish in it. "Three members of my team were hit by spells. If those had been lethal…"

"Ah." Madame Locksley looked at Wordsworth, considering her next words. "You are concerned that your team will be at a greater risk in our world than they usually are?"

"Yes, I am."

"May I ask a question, Sergeant?"

One brow arched as Greg studied her. "Yes?"

"In the year since you made the agreement with my Auror, how much has _he_ taught you or your team about magic? I assume that your niece and nephew have taught you as much as _they_ can."

Greg turned the question over in his mind, mulling it over. He opted to start with her second statement. "Lance and Alanna have gone out of their way to show me their textbooks and teach me as much about magic as they can. I suspect I'm one of the few parents or guardians to read a child's textbook cover to cover. They've even shown me their family grimoire."

"You could read it?" Locksley burst out, shocked.

The Sergeant's expression turned curious. "Yes, of course." His brow furrowed at the look on her face. "Naturally, I've passed on as much as I can to my team as well. Not the family grimoire as I understand _that_ is private; for blood family only." Locksley nodded agreement. "Aside from that," Greg shrugged, "We know very little, I'm afraid."

Madame Locksley's jaw dropped and she gaped at the Sergeant, groping for words. "You took down eight of my best Aurors with, at best, a third year's knowledge?"

Greg fidgeted, suddenly uneasy with the direction the conversation was going in. He looked down at Wordy, checking to make sure they hadn't woken his constable up. "Sam knew about your world too," he reminded her.

"He's Squib-born. Magic in general, I'm sure he knows about. Specific magic, things Aurors are taught; that he would not know, even after his military stint." Locksley's gaze dropped to her bag and she drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "I find myself even more impressed with your team and even more ashamed of how my Aurors have treated you."

"Madame?" Greg set his jaw, confused and unsure of what this woman wanted.

She looked up at him again and gave him a tentative smile. "Have no fear, Sergeant Parker, I have no intention of reneging on our agreement. Your team has shown us their character and proven that, regardless of anything else, you _are our equals_. A hard lesson, but," she paused thoughtfully, "one I believe we needed." Once again, she paused, considering her next words. "The agreement from a year ago will no longer serve, Sergeant. My Auror broke it with his reckless demand two days ago. _You_ honored it much better than he did; I read every word of the transcript and requested transcripts from the other two times Auror Wilkins requested your aid."

Greg nodded, but kept silent, waiting for Locksley to reach her point.

"My daughter, when I told her of this competition, insisted that I consider how to respond when you won. I confess, I was appalled that she would say 'when' and not 'if'. I see now that she knew better than I did." Locksley smiled warmly, drawing a tiny answering grin from Greg. "I had been thinking of an old American concept: 'Separate but equal' as a possibility _if_ you won. But now after the report of my Aurors and Constable Wordsworth's courage in all but sacrificing himself to protect his teammates…that will not serve either."

Greg clenched his jaw, forcing a few very nasty remarks down.

"While the details must still be worked out, I do believe I have found a solution."

"And that is?"

Locksley gave Greg a challenging look as she spoke. "A new team of Aurors, Sergeant Parker. Fully trained in both the Muggle and magical worlds; holding equivalent ranks in both worlds." She paused a moment, then added, "A magical Strategic Response Unit, comprised solely of those Muggles considered qualified by the Muggle SRU and cleared to know about the magical world."

Greg stared at her, caught off guard by the proposal he thought she was making.

" _Your_ team, Sergeant Parker, will be the first Muggle Aurors in my division's history."

* * *

[3] Latin for 'to pierce'


	8. Aurors and Cops

**_Chapter Seven: Aurors and Cops_**

Silence hung in the room at Madame Locksley's proposal. Greg Parker sat back, stunned at the idea. A glance down at Wordy, though, brought back Parker's doubts. "That is…very generous," he managed. "But even if my team _was_ fully educated in magic and what it can do, how does that keep my people safe if they are hit by curses?"

The woman turned the question over, thinking hard. "I believe we could improve your 'bullut-pruff' vests and the metal shields my Aurors informed me about."

"To stop curses?" Greg inquired.

"The majority of curses, yes, but not the Unforgivables. There has never been a magical counter to any of those particular curses." Locksley hesitated, then admitted, "Especially the Killing Curse. Magically blocking _that_ curse is impossible."

Greg's face was still, hiding his thoughts. "And our electronic equipment?"

"I understand your 'raydeos' work in moderate magical environments," Locksley offered.

"Not a problem, Sarge," Sam put in unexpectedly from the doorway. He grinned as both Greg and Locksley jumped and turned. "My unit used electronics all the time. It just has to be EMP-hardened."

Spike, peering around the doorway, perked up at this. "So, all we need is EMP-hardened gear?"

Sam shrugged. "At least for starters, Spike. But it's not like we went into any really magic-dense areas."

Spike all but bounced, ignoring the caveat. "Samtastic!"

Greg looked up as his team filed in, smiling at the sight of Ed and Lou on their feet. Then he focused on Sam. "You want to do this, Sam?" He was surprised; he would have thought Sam would be the last member of his team that would want anything more to do with the magical world.

Sam grinned, mirroring Spike as he almost bounced. "We proved we can do this, Sarge. They threw their worst at us and we still beat 'em." He cast a smirk at Madame Locksley and added, "Wilkins gossips like a teenager."

Locksley groaned, one hand covering her face. "I suppose that means everyone knows your team beat my best squad of Aurors despite their abominable behavior."

"Sure does, ma'am," Lou confirmed, a sly grin peaking through.

Greg looked at his entire team, shocked when they all gave him smiles and thumbs up. They were bruised and battered, but they still wanted to do this. He pulled in a breath, not sure what to say even if he felt like he should say something.

"It's just keepin' the peace, Sarge," an unexpected whisper offered. Greg felt his jaw drop as he looked down to see Wordy's eyes open, alert, and clear. The brunet gave his Sergeant as much of a smile as he could manage. "Isn't that what this job is about, Sarge? Saving lives?"

"Connect, respect, protect," Jules chimed in, grinning even wider as their last team member 'joined' the 'meeting'.

"Getting the job done," Ed agreed.

Greg shook his head even as his smile spread. One hand rested on Wordy's shoulder and he leaned in, ignoring Locksley as he asked, "How you doing, Wordy?"

"Still here, Sarge," Wordy croaked. "Been better." He looked up at his teammates. "Heard you talking."

"Yeah?" Greg pressed gently.

"Go for it. Can make a difference. Help your kids more."

"Wordy?" Jules queried, confused.

Wordy shifted, hiding a wince as his bruises and injuries protested the movement. "Kids are better now." That drew a nod from Greg. "Don't get everything." This, too, was true. "Can get where they're coming from."

Greg met Wordy's eyes, asking a silent question. Wordy tilted his head down in as much as of a nod as he could manage. The Sergeant looked up at Madame Locksley and gave her his own nod.

Locksley's smile lit up her face. She reached down into her bag and pulled out a small leather badge wallet. She held it out to Greg, flipping it open to reveal an Auror badge and ID with Greg's name, picture, and rank already on it. Greg took the wallet, eyebrows going up at the sight of his image actually moving in its picture on the ID. Under _Rank_ were the words _Auror Sergeant_. The badge, when Greg turned his attention to it, was not the same as the badge Greg had seen Auror Wilkins wear. Under an eagle with outspread wings and the engraved word _Auror_ was a wand with a rifle and sword crossed above it. Below the crossed weapons were the letters _SRU_.

"You already had these," Greg observed as Madame Locksley passed out the rest of the new badges to Team One.

"Yes, well," Madame Locksley looked a trifle embarrassed. "Magic does make some things easier, Sergeant Parker."

And, Greg supposed, magic would make re-doing the badges easy if they turned her down. He opted to move on. "What about a liaison? Or any future members of Team One?"

"Any future members of your team will have to be signed onto the Official Secrets Act, but as an Auror Sergeant and the head of the new magical Strategic Response Unit, you will have the authority to inform new team members about our world without requiring my office's approval. As for a liaison, I will assign a new one and we can re-evaluate as we go forward." Locksley smirked, an edge to her expression. "I believe I have several Aurors who will… _enjoy_ …the responsibility."

Team One gave her a few chuckles and smirks in reply. Sobering, Locksley looked down at Wordy. "Constable Wordsworth, you have my sincere apology for my Aurors' behavior today."

Wordy blinked at her and gave a very careful nod of thanks. Greg squeezed Wordy's shoulder and stood to usher Madame Locksley and his team out. He already knew it would be several days before Wordy would be up to much and they had probably pushed Wordy's remaining endurance to its limit. Before he could wave the team out, two teenage blurs shot into the room and swarmed the bed. Though both kids were careful not to jostle the recovering constable, they latched onto him and refused to be budged.

* * *

Sarge turned, intent on hauling both teens off Wordy, and stopped, gaping as gold and violet curled around all three. Locksley gasped in shock as the golden light skated across Wordy's skin and disappeared. The violet light danced around Wordy's visible bruises and cuts, sinking in. The bruises and cuts faded, leaving healthy skin behind. Wordy blinked in surprise at both kids, sitting up carefully. With his team looking on, he pulled the hospital shirt up. The massive bruises and angry red burn scar from the curses he'd been hit with were gone.

Wordy stared at both kids, stunned. The pain and lingering weakness were gone; the scars that the healers had apologetically told him he'd have the rest of his life were gone. Neither teen seemed to realize they'd just done the impossible as they clung to him. Alanna's grip was particularly tight, but then she'd been very fond of him since the day they'd met.

"Easy," Wordy said quietly, not even trying to break loose from the panicked children. "I'm okay, everything's fine."

Sarge gently detached Lance from Wordy, hauling the teenager off the hospital bed. "More than fine," he reassured the kids.

Alanna sniffled loudly, tears gathering in her eyes. "The healers said you were hurt," she told Wordy, "they said you'd have scars the rest of your life." She didn't sob as Wordy pulled her into a hug but the tears ran down her face.

"Easy," Wordy repeated. "I think you guys just took care of that, didn't you?"

Spike let out a low, impressed whistle. "I'll say."

Locksley's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she stared at the kids. She rose abruptly. "Congratulations, Auror Wordsworth. I must be going." With that, she swept out. Team One stared after her, but the teens fidgeted and found the floor particularly interesting.

Wordy deliberately tightened his grip on Alanna as Sarge tipped her brother's chin up and crouched to look at both teens at the same time. "Hey, hey. I'm proud of you." His gaze shifted up to his team's still wide-eyed looks. "I'm proud of all of you." Brown eyes warmed as he finished, "I'm darn proud to be a member of this team."

Wordy nodded his agreement and traded looks with his teammates. The kids gave their uncle tentative smiles and Wordy glanced toward the door, wondering why Locksley had all but run away. _Don't care,_ he decided, _if she wants to be scared of the kids, that's her problem._ He was just grateful they'd all come out of this intact.

 _Well…I don't think Sam's going to have any more trust issues,_ the new Auror decided wryly.

 _~ Fin_

* * *

Author note: And that's a wrap for this story! Now, I _do_ have a picture of what the new Auror badge looks like, but I don't want to make that a cover for this story...talk about instant spoiler for anyone down the road who wants to read this story. So, instead, I'm going to be putting the SRU Auror badge up on my account at Archive Of Our Own (which is an **org** site, not a com site). I use the same pen-name as I use on this site, so you can just go over there and take a peek. I post on this site first, so it might not be up instantly, but by the end of today (December 16th, 2016), it will be. Anyone who wishes to comment on my artwork may do so either here (on any of my stories) or at Archive Of Our Own (AO3). If you do it here, please mention that you're commenting on my SRU Auror badge so I know what you're talking about.  


And please come back next Tuesday as the first of my episode twisters gets underway: Phoenix Aligned.


End file.
